Math of a Meal

I’ve been asked to cook for a party of 75 to 100 people. I’m smoking full brisket (nose on), St. Louis Ribs and pulled pork (full shoulders). Considering that some will have one or the other while some will have a little of all, how much of each meat would you recommend I buy and how many pounds of slaw for the pulled pork sandwiches should I make?

“Mad Mike”

Hi Mad Mike,

It’s always a tough call when you have that many choices. My first tip is to serve the ribs to the guests, 2 bones per guest to start and have them after the pork and brisket on the line. It’s a safe bet that everyone will want some ribs and they are the most expensive item by far so you want to stretch them. I’d actually cook three bones per guest or one slab perfour guests. As for the pork and brisket, the typical yield after cooking and trimming is 50 percent, so you’ll need to buy twice as much raw weight as you plan to serve. I’d plan on 3 ounces of each per guest, so if you have 100 guests you’ll need 300 ounces which is about 19 pounds. That means you’ll need to cook about 38 pounds of each and of course you have to buy the meat as it comes so you’ll probably end up a little heavy which is safe. In plain English, for 100 guests I’d cook six 7 pound butts and four 10-12 pound briskets and 25 slabs of ribs. I think this will give you plenty of food and if the budget allows, cook a few more ribs. As for the slaw, that depends on what else you’re serving. If it’s only for the sandwiches, I’d say 10 lbs should do it.